Coupler with means to support a mating pulled-out coupler

ABSTRACT

A railway coupler having a coupler head with a knuckle pivoted thereto for interlocking engagement with a similarly pivoted knuckle of a mating coupler is provided with a downwardly and outwardly flaring skirt preferably in the form of a flange depending from the bottom ear of the coupler head through which ear extends a pivot pin which pivotally connects the knuckle to the head. The skirt is engageable with a guard arm of the mating coupler when it has been pulled out of engagement with its supporting vehicle and thus is supported solely by a shelf extending from the bottom ear to a coupler head throat beneath the knuckle of the mating coupler. The skirt is effective as a wedge to hold the knuckle of the mating coupler on said shelf.

limited States Patent lPlUlLlLlED-OUT COUPLER 6 Claims, 2 Drawing Figs.

[52] 11.8. Cl 213/l53 [51] BtSlg3/04, B6lg 7/14 [50] Field olSem-ch213/153 [56] References Cited UNITED STATES PATENTS 2,562,203 7/1951Metzger 213/153 Primary Examiner-- Drayton E. Hoffman AttorneyWalter L.Schlegel, Jr.

ABSTRACT: A railway coupler having a coupler head with a knuckle pivotedthereto for interlocking engagement with a similarly pivoted knuckle ofamating coupler is provided with a downwardly and outwardly flaring skirtpreferably in the form ofa flange depending from the bottom ear of thecoupler head through which car extends a pivot pin which pivotallyconnects the knuckle to the head. The skirt is engageable with a guardarm of the mating coupler when it has been pulled out of engagement withits supporting vehicle and thus is supported solely by a shelf extendingfrom the bottom ear to a coupler head throat beneath the knuckle of themating coupler. The skirt is effective as a wedge to hold the knuckle ofthe mating coupler on said shelf.

COUPLER WllTl-ll MEANS TO SUPPORT A MATHNG PULLED-UUT COUPLER Thisinvention relates to railway couplers and more particularly to a couplerhaving means to support a mating coupler which has been pulled out ofengagement with its supporting railway vehicle.

A primary object of the invention is to devise such support means whichwill prevent the mating coupler from falling to the roadbed even underthe most severe bouncing and oscillation which can occur in railwayservice. 7

Another object of the invention is to minimize the size of a supportshelf which extends from the bottom ear to the lower edge of the couplerhead throat beneath the knuckle of the mating coupler to support suchknuckle when its coupler head has been pulled loose as above described.

The foregoing and other objects and advantages of the invention willbecome apparent from a consideration of the following specification andthe accompanying drawings, wherein:

FlG. l is a bottom plan view of mating couplers embodying a preferredform of the invention shown in normal draft condition; and

HO. 2 is a front elevational view of one coupler shown in FIG. 11 withparts of the other coupler shown in phantom lines in a pulledoutcondition supported solely by said one coupler.

Describing the invention in detail and referring first to FIG. 1 whichshows mated couplers 2 and 2a embodying the invention, it will beunderstood that these couplers are shown in bottom plan view undernormal draft condition with their knuckles 4 and la respectively, spacedfrom the throats 6 and 6a, respectively, of the coupler heads 8 and tin,respectively. Corresponding parts of respective couplers are identifiedby corresponding numerals, with the suffix a" in the case of coupler 2a.

The knuckle of each coupler is pivoted by a conventional pin 10 to topand bottom cars 12 and M of the coupler head 8, and in the matedposition of FlG. l whereat the knuckles are locked by conventional means(not shown), the knuckle of each coupler overlies a shelf 16 or 16a ofthe other coupler to prevent accidental uncoupling due to relativevertical movement between the respective coupler heads 8 and 8a. Theshelf l6 extends from the bottom ear 14 of its head 8 beneath its throat6 across the longitudinal vertical centerplane X-)( of the coupler head8 but not as far as the centerpoint 18 of the throat 6. Such a shelfisconsiderably smaller than prior art shelves for a reason hereinafterdiscussed in detail. It may also be noted that the forward edge 20 ofthe shelf 16 is spaced rearwardly of a vertical plane Y-Y bisecting itspin 10 and normal to the plane XX. The inner edge 22 of the shelfextends from its forward edge 26 at an angle of approximately 1 l0"therefrom to a point beneath the throat spaced laterally fromcenterpoint 18 toward the knuckle side of the coupler head.

Each coupler head 2 and 2a comprises a conventional guard arm 24 whichcooperates with a novel skirt 26 depending from its bottom ear M andflaring downwardly and forwardly and outwardly from said ear (as bestseen in FIG. 1) toward the guard arm 24 or 240 of the mated couplerunder the normal draft condition shown in FIG. ll.

FIG. 2 shows the coupler head 2a in a condition whereat its couplershank 28a has been pulled from its support on an associated railwayvehicle and has thus dropped so that it is supported solely by thecoupler head 2. Under these conditions, knuckle la rests on shelf to andguard arm 24a has been wedged outwardly by skirt 26 to maintain knuckle4a in engagement with the top of shelf 16 so that coupler 20 cannot dropfrom engagement with coupler 2 even under the most severe serviceconditions. Because of this wedging action between the guard arm 2 5aand skirt 26 it will be understood that the dimensions of shelf llfi maybe reduced to a minimum without any possibility of coupler head 2adropping from coupler 2 under service conditions with the coupler 2asupported entirel b coupler 2.

It wi 1 so be understood that one of the novel couplers disclosed hereinwill similarly support a conventional coupler which does not have ashelf 16 or a skirt 26.

What is claimed is:

1. in a railway car coupler having a head comprising a throat and havinga knuckle pivoted to the head at a point at one side of the head'slongitudinal vertical centerplane; the combination of a shelf on saidhead below said knuckle the rear edge of the shelf intersecting saidthroat at a point spaced from the midpoint thereof toward the pivotpoint of said knuckle, said shelf adapted to support a knuckle of amating coupler, and a wedge surface on said head sloping laterallythereof downwardly and away from said shelf and downwardly and away fromsaid centerplane to engage a guard arm of said mating coupler to therebyretain its knuckle in engagement with said shelf.

2. A railway coupler according to Claim 1 wherein the knuckle isreceived between and pivoted to top and bottom spaced ears on the headand wherein the wedge surface is formed on the bottom ear.

3. ln a railway car coupling having mated couplers comprising,respectively, pivoted knuckles in interlocking engagement with eachother at the longitudinal vertical centerplane of said couplers; thecombination of a shelf on one coupler beneath the knuckle of the othercoupler, said one coupler having a throat intersecting the rear edge ofthe shelf at a point spaced from the center point ofsaid throat towardthe knuckle side of said one coupler, a guard arm on said other coupler,and interengaged wedge means on said one coupler and said guard arm oneof said wedge means sloping downwardly and away from said centerplanefor holding the knuckle of said other coupler above said shelf.

4. A railway car coupling according to claim 3 wherein said wedge meansare characterized by an outwardly and downwardly flared skirt attachedto and depending from a bottom lug of said one coupler which supportsits knuckle, said skirt being engaged with said guard arm.

5. A railway coupler comprising a coupler head having top and bottomears, a knuckle received therebetween, a vertical pivot pin extendingthrough openings of the ears and knuckle, said head having a guard armmerging with a throat rearwardly of the knuckle, a shelf extendingbetween the bottom ear and the lower edge of the throat, the forwardedge of the shelf being disposed rearvvarclly of a vertical planebisecting the pin and normal to said heads longitudinal verticalcenterplane, the rear edge of the shelf intersecting the throat at apoint spaced from the centerpoint of the throat toward the coupler headsknuckle side and a downwardly and forwardly flaring skirt depending fromthe bottom ear for wedging engagement with a guard arm of a matingcoupler to hold its knuckle above the shelf.

6. A railway coupler according to claim 5 wherein the forward edge ofthe shelf is at an angle of the order of 1 10 with respect to the inneredge of the shelf which extends from said forward edge to the throat.

m n t m a

1. In a railway car coupler having a head comprising a throat and havinga knuckle pivoted to the head at a point at one side of the head''slongitudinal vertical centerplane; the combination of a shelf on saidhead below said knuckle the rear edge of the shelf intersecting saidthroat at a point spaced from the midpoint thereof toward the pivotpoint of said knuckle, said shelf adapted to support a knuckle of amating coupler, and a wedge surface on said head sloping laterallythereof downwardly and away from said shelf and downwardly and away fromsaid centerplane to engage a guard arm of said mating coupler to therebyretain its knuckle in engagement with said shelf.
 2. A railway coupleraccording to Claim 1 wherein the knuckle is received between and pivotedto top and bottom spaced ears on the head and wherein the wedge surfaceis formed on the bottom ear.
 3. In a railway car coupling having matedcouplers comprising, respectively, pivoted knuckles in interlockingengagement with each other at the longitudinal vertical centerplane ofsaid couplers; the combination of a shelf on one coupler beneath theknuckle of the other coupler, said one coupler having a throatintersecting the rear edge of the shelf at a point spaced from thecenter point of said throat toward the knuckle side of said one coupler,a guard arm on said other coupler, and interengaged wedge means on saidone coupler and said guard arm one of said wedge means slopingdownwardly and away from said centerplane for holding the knuckle ofsaid other coupler above said shelf.
 4. A railway car coupling accordingto claim 3 wherein said wedge means are characterized by an outwardlyand downwardly flared skirt attached to and depending from a bottom lugof said one coupler which supports its knuckle, said skirt being engagedwith said guard arm.
 5. A railway coupler comprising a coupler headhaving top and bottom ears, a knuckle received therebetween, a verticalpivot pin extending through openings of the ears and knuckle, said headhaving a guard arm merging with a throat rearwardly of the knuckle, ashelf extending between the bottom ear and the lower edge of the throat,the forward edge of the shelf being disposed rearwardly of a verticalplane bisecting the pin and normal to said head''s longitudinal verticalcenterplane, the rear edge of the shelf intersecting the throat at apoint spaced from the centerpoint of the throat toward the couplerhead''s knuckle side and a downwardly and forwardly flaring skirtdepending from the bottom ear for wedging engagement with a guard arm ofa mating coupler to hold its knuckle above the shelf.
 6. A railwaycoupler according to claim 5 wherein the forward edge of the shelf is atan angle of the order of 110* with respect to the inner edge of theshelf which extends from said forward edge to the throat.